Coupling pocket



Feb. 20, 1923.

JENKHNS ET AL.

COUPLING POCKET Filed Jan. 24, 1920 5 w m n m v Wm V n F. m w 52 @li l lfih.

EDWIN 1V1. JENKINS AND ROBERT E. JACKSON, 0]? PRINCETON, VIRGINIA,

cournrrrs roonnr.

Application filed January 24-, 1820. Serial No. 353,725.

To ({ZZ 7.0710771, may concern Be it known that we, EDWIN M. JENKINS and ROBERT E. JACKSON, both citizens of the United States, residing at Princeton, in the county of Mercer and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new'and use ful Improvements in Coupling Pockets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a coupler pocket, and more particularly to means for preventing disengagement by vertical movement of an associated coupler from another coupler operatively engaging the same.

It is common practice on railroads to use additional locomotives (usually called pushers) to assist in moving trains over grades that are unusually steep. These 10- comotives push on the rear of the train and in some cases there is one at the rear and another placed in the train near the middle. The very nature of the worlr they perform calls for powerful locomotives. The brakes are always controlled by the engineer on the leading locomotive, and if it is necessary to stop, the only notification the engineers on the pusher locomotives receive is that more work is suddenly imposed on their locomotives. It is usual practice for the engineers to keep their engines were ing until they stall. A very heavy strain under these circumstances is imposed on the couplers on the front of the pusher locomotives and the couplers of the cars against which they are pushing. This strain is such that sometimes the couplers become disengaged vertically and the force of the locomotive pushing throws the end of the car up on the front end of the locomotive, which results in considerable damage. Similar damage will often be the result of a burst air hose or broken pipe, which causes an emergency application of the brakes and the disengaging of couplers will allow the car to be thrown on the front end of the locomotive. A ain, in the case of collision, the greatest amount of damage results when the couplers disengage verti cally and one car or locomotive rides up on the other. The damage is particularly heavy on mallet locomotives where the front end is sloping and there is considerable exposed piping, castings, etc.

Again, switch engine tenders are usually of a total short wheel base. They operate in yards almost exclusively, rather than on main line tracks, and as yard tracks are usually not in the best of condition, the rear end of an engine tender and its coupler are given rather an excessive vertical movement, causing, at times, said coupler to become disconnected by a vertical movement from its associated coupler after said couplers have been. locked in operative association.

In all cases this vertical disengaging action of associated couplers takes place more frequently when the couplers on adjacent cars or engine tenders are at different heights. it being appreciated that the standard maximum height from the top of the track to the center of the drawbar is thirty-four and one-half inches and the minimum standard is three inches less. n

many instances a tender with a coupler at the maximum height is coupled to a car with a minimum height coupler, or a tender with a minimum height coupler is coupled to a car with a maximum height coupler. Such being the case, and in addition there being an excessive vertical oscillation of the tender or the car connected thereto. or of both, often allows the couplers to slip out of engagement by a vertical movement. That is, one coupler may rise entirely out of the other, although both couplers may be securely locked in their coupled position.

Also, while the couplers may not become disengaged entirely by this vertical move ment, they may become partially disengagged, and the two couplers, one on the engine and one on the car, instead of being registered centrally in pulling, may, due to the vertical oscillation, become partially disengaged, or each coupler may be a different level, so that the upper portion of one coupler is engaged only by the lower portion of an associated coupler, and vice versa. This action may take place as the result of a sudden forward or backward movement, in starting or stopping. lVith the couplers in such position and a steady pull being exerted by the engine. a certain amount of the vertical weight of the engine may be transferred to the car, or a certain amount of the vertical weight may be transferred from the car to the engine, resulting in a derailment of one or the other, or possibly both.

Accordingly, the main object of our iii-- vention is to prevent disengagement by a relative vertical movement of two couplers when they are operatively engaging each other.

Another object is to provide a coupler pocket simple and neat in construction, arranged to maintain mating couplers in. a locked condition as against relative vertical movement.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan view of a coupler pocket embodying our invention; and,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

The coupler pocket 10 may be secured to the front of the engine or to the tender, or for that matter may be secured to cars which are to be coupled together. However the main application of the pocket is to an engine tender. This coupler poclret includes a main body portion 11 and a shelf portion 12. which extends horizontally from the main body portion 11 and over the mating couplers 13 and 14. This shelf 12 extends over the couplers an. amount which not only covers the coupler 13 carried by the tender, but also covers the active locking portion of the mating coupler 14. As a result thereof, it is apparent that the mating couplers when in operative engagement with each other cannot be disengaged from each other by relative vertical movement. If desired, a second shelf may be provided, which underlies the couplers but it is thought that under the general worlc ing conditions only the upper shelf 12 is necessary. While the shelf 12 preferably is integrally formed with the main body portion 11 of the pocket, it will be appreciated that the shelf may be a separate piece and secured to the body portion of the pocket. This shelf 12. while it will prevent disengagement of the couplers by a vertical movement, still permits a reasonable amount of relative vertical motion to accon'in'mdate irregular track conditions.

It is our intention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claim.

Vi e claim:

A coupler pocket including a body portion and an integrally formed shelf extending horizontally therefrom substantially over an associated coupler connected thereto and over a portion of a second coupler adapted to be connected to an adjacent car and beyond the center of connection. of the couplers, for the purpose of preventing accidental uncoupling of said couplers by a relative upward movement of the second coupler.

Signed at Princeton, West Virginia, the 16th day of January, 1920.

EDWIN M. JENKINS. ROBERT E. JACKSON. 

